TRAVERSE CITY -- It's hard to escape the extreme heat and even though it cooled downed somewhat Monday evening, temperatures are still well above average. And while many of us have cranked up the air conditioning or fans, a group of nearly 200 boy scouts are in for an uncomfortable night, outside in the heat at Camp Greilick.
According to the National Weather Service heat is the number one weather-related killer in the United States, resulting in hundreds of deaths each year and that's why the scouts aren't taking any chances.
Camp Greilick Director Larry Solce says, "In this kind of heat, we don't take the health of our scouts and adults lightly. We had one boy come in this morning he had drank only about a half cup of water and by 11:00am he was already feeling the heat badly, heat exhaustion... he was sweating a lot, lethargic."
It's situations like this that greilick Solce tries to avoid at all costs. And to protect to his campers he's constantly preaching that the key to beating the extreme heat is hydration. He says,"Pushing water during program times, when we see them on the trail walking. In weather like this you got to drink a quart an hour because you're going to lose it constantly. There's water at all the program areas and along the trial going to those areas."
Surviving the day-time heat is a challenge in itself and unfortunately the night hours aren't providing much relief for these young boys. So to help the camp strategically placed the scouts tents under heavily shaded areas. Solce says, "Most of them will have their flaps open front and back, wide open. It's important there is a lot of air circulation in those tents so they won't get over heated while they sleep."
